Brexit threatens UK aviation's open skies with Europe and US

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On 10-Oct-2018 the European Commission's Chief Negotiator for Article 50 negotiations, Michel Barnier, identified aviation and transport as examples of "points of convergence" between the EU and UK in their search for a Brexit deal. Yet, this seems to be at odds with the two sides' stated positions on aviation.

The UK has proposed an Air Transport Agreement which seeks to maintain reciprocal liberalised aviation access between and within the territory of the UK and the EU, alongside UK participation in the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). However, the EU's position is that the UK will leave the single aviation market and will no longer be a member of EASA.

The UK must also negotiate new bilaterals with 17 non-EU countries where rights are currently granted under EU agreements. The most important of these extra-EU agreements will be a new UK-US deal, necessary once the UK falls out of the EU-US open skies agreement.

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